As I mentioned I would, I just got off the phone with Adagio ownership. As anticipated, the response was very pro forum and supportive ... "we still have a constitution which guarantees freedom of speech."

He also paraphrased one of his favorite quotes which he has shared with me on more than one occasion, "I may disagree with what you say, but I defend your right to say it to the death." Not that he is disagreeing with anything said by members, but this seems to be his outlook as he believes strongly in freedom of speech.

So, feel free to post opinions regarding teas, vendors based upon your personal experience. When presenting "facts," be pretty sure of their truthfulness and cite sources where applicable. And do not post maliciously or for the purpose of causing harm.

teaisme wrote:agh what the... no vendor ever has a perfect run of teas unless they are all uber expensive.

Don't you think it's a little harsh to go to such extremes especially for a loyal customer like Alex?

Frankly, I think it is beyond a little harsh no matter who the customer is ... unless it is perhaps a constant "problem child" who just needs to be turned away.

But it is so way over the top in the case of a loyal customer such as Alex who has all but one time been very complimentary of Yuuki-Cha and their teas. This is just about as bad an injustice from a vendor can go.

Poohblah wrote:For the record I would like to note that the participants in this thread came to the conclusion that the video in question is highly suspect and probably fraudulent.

To summarize, a TC member posted a video to this thread because it concerned radiation in YC tea, then after some discussion the video was deemed not to be trustworthy, and now the member is being accused of libel.

I take no stake in the matter but I thought that other members of TC who might be viewing this thread would appreciate some background in order to understand what is going on. I had to read through the thread again and ask to see the video before I knew what had happened. I just want to save other readers the trouble of going through these steps.

Thank you kindly for clarifying/explaining!

Just for further clarity ... according to the emails from Dan, it appears Yuuki-Cha is extending their offer to blacklist as well as be at "risk of legal action" to anyone posting negatively about Yuuki-Cha and/or their products in any topic(s) on TeaChat.

edkrueger wrote:I'm not a lawyer, but those threats of "legal ramifications" that posters have been threatened with are absolute nonsense.

It is odd that they are trying to blacklist people just for responding to this topic, or being on this forum. Especially considering no one, to the best of my knowledge, said that they believe that this vendor's tea (or any Japanese tea) is contaminated.

Unfortunately the threat is real. There have been enough lawsuits of this type in the US that there is a standard name: "Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation" (SLAPP) and a number of states have passed anti-SLAPP legislation. If you live in a state that doesn't provide for legal protection you have to go to court to prove that your statements weren't libel. If your homeowner's insurance doesn't cover the legal costs then you could incur a sizable expense so for people with assets, like a home, this is a potentially serious issue.

I'm inclined to agree with edkrueger here, especially taking into consideration the issue of jurisdiction. Many forum members live in countries all over the world, and it would be difficult to file legal proceedings against just anyone saying something negative about a company's product, not to mention expensive. Maybe I'm missing out on something since I'm not a lawyer.

Just for further clarity ... according to the emails from Dan, it appears Yuuki-Cha is extending their offer to blacklist as well as be at "risk of legal action" to anyone posting negatively about Yuuki-Cha and/or their products in any topic(s) on TeaChat.

If this is true, well, who wants to buy anything from this kind of place? I've ordered several times from them in the past, though I definitely won't be anymore after hearing of how the owner has bullied a loyal customer.

I am not a lawyer but I sat on a jury for a libel case. Libel is very difficult to prove. To be found guilty of libel the statement made has to be proven to be false, the accused has to be proven to have known the statement was false, the accused has to be proven to have made the statement intending to cause harm and the statement has to be proven to have caused actual harm.

MIKE_B wrote:I am not a lawyer but I sat on a jury for a libel case. Libel is very difficult to prove. To be found guilty of libel the statement made has to be proven to be false, the accused has to be proven to have known the statement was false, the accused has to be proven to have made the statement intending to cause harm and the statement has to be proven to have caused actual harm.

Of course libel would be difficult to prove if someone files a SLAPP lawsuit against you for comments made on a web forum. Except for local issues I think most of these are considered nuisance lawsuits but you still have to pay to defend yourself.

The problem is that a lot of people, including posters here, think these lawsuits are not just unlikely but impossible. Isn't it better to understand that they exist and express ourselves in a way that protects us from being targets? Chip made a lot of suggestions about language in one of his posts that are commonsense guideline.

I just ran across this company and was interested in the Japanese oolongs and black tea. However, after reading their "About Me" I became a bit shaky and decided to check this forum about the company. Their "About Me" is nothing but emotive, charged language that is everything I hate about product selling, politics, etc. in my country of America.

Here is a little snippet

We are a small reputable family-run business, not a corporation, not owned, financed, or incorporated into another company or business either. We run every aspect of our online store and manage our internet presence alone. We, unlike some Japanese tea companies, do not hire the services of internet affiliates, smear campaigners, o-cha shills and forum poster on tea forums, to pose as customers online in order to promote their teas, and at the same time publish fictitious tea reviews and dream up hoaxes about competitors

...allows us to bypass Japan’s notorious tea merchants and tea shop middlemen which in turn keeps our tea prices reasonable, and way below the extortionate prices you often see at other tea stores.

You shouldn't have to sell your product by slighting competition and creating boogeymen. It is all too funny when you realise that they are the ones partaking in the practices they go out of their way to charge competition with. I am not one to usually not buy from a business purely based on principle if I like their product enough, but I honestly do not think I will be giving this one a shot. I may change my mind in the future, but there is the possibility that this choice will be made for me. Honestly, very poor and he touts a Japanese staff, but I have to wonder if they are aware of this behavior.

Can anybody recommend me a different vendor where I could possibly try some Japanese oolong or blacks?